APPOLO - Towards integrated urban education in Pretoria : a multi-functional vertical primary school

Abstract

The Apollo Project investigates the recent establishment of numerous private educational institutions in the inner city of Pretoria. It identifies the need for adequate urban educational facilities and explores the use of existing buildings as schools. An existing educational cluster is identified at the eastern edge of the inner city, defined by Church, Du Toit and Pretorius Streets, and Nelson Mandela Drive. This city block and the ones surrounding it contain numerous primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions in a predominant industrial/automotive precinct. An urban design framework is proposed for the precinct. It is envisioned that the precinct may be developed as a mixed-use urban educational campus. Within the existing city block and the urban framework proposal, the Apollo Centre, located on the corner of Church-and Du Toit Street, is selected for an adaptive re-use intervention. The proposed use is an urban primary school. The Apollo project investigates current pedagogical trends, which informed a concept that is largely defined by the idea of contextual learning within a vertical structure. Transparency and integration of education with the urban environment is at the core of the proposal. The traditional notion of horizontal education is explored in a vertical manner. The existing structure is analyzed and a position taken regarding the adaptive re-use process that informs the design. Precedent Studies include existing schools within the inner city of Pretoria as well as local and international schools. The process of converting the Apollo Centre into a primary educational facility, that shares its resources on a cross-programming basis, is explored in a series of proposals. The numerous explorations are considered in their various aspects, as well as their relationship to the whole, which then leads to a final design proposal. Key areas of the proposed Apollo Primary School will finally be resolved technically. A conclusion summarizes the author’s thoughts on the result of the project.